It has become unfortunately rare for a scientist or doctor to find his grounding in a broad understanding of literature and the humanities. In this book, the author insists that only with a curiosity thoroughly at home in both worlds can one expect to discover what we should mean about sickness and about the soul.

After the sudden death of his father and later his brother, Downing discovers he had inherited a mutant protein, and that the first symptom would be his sudden death. This harrowing story is a tale of Downing's medical misadventures in one of Boston's best hospitals.